


Nightmares

by RandomWriting789



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Cute, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27454099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomWriting789/pseuds/RandomWriting789
Summary: There's a reason Adora keeps coming back to Catra's room every night on Darla now, and she's fairly certain it isn't Bow and Glimmer making out anymore
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 191





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Just Catradora comforting each other after some nightmares on Darla. These happen a lil while after 'Don't Go' but before the transmission from Perfuma at the end of ep 7. Gonna make a second Chapter with Catra when I feel like it

_She was alone, clearly in the middle of Darla's control center but everything was powered down._

_''Bow?'' She tried calling out. ''Entrapta?'' no response, the Ship was isolated_

_Black shadows began to consume the walls of the ship, inching closer and closer until they consumed her vision. She could hear a familiar gliding from behind her. She whirled around to see the figure now towering over her._

_''What are you doing here?'' She tried to put on a brave face against the woman_

_Shadow Weaver gave her signature cynical laugh ''I always knew you'd turn out to be a failure''_

_Adora defensively stepped back_

_''You couldn't even protect that worthless waste from destruction'' She grinned under her mask as Adora's eyes widened_

_''What do you mean?'' Adora tried to hold her own as Shadow Weaver neared her. had Catra been hurt?_

_''She was **your** responsibility'' Shadow Weaver answered dryly ''She may have made her choice but you made yours as well''_

_Adora froze up at the statement, her chest tightening as her heart seized._

_Shadow Weaver placed her hand on Adora's cheek ''You left her...''_

_As if on queue, Shadow Weaver disintegrated away. Adora gasped as she took another step back_

_''ADORA!'' Catra cried out from behind her_

_Adora turned back to see Catra struggling against an onslaught of Prime Clones. Within all the chaos, her mismatched eyes still pierced into Adora's._

_''Catra!'' Adora yelled as she ran over to free her, but something was holding her back, she could only watch as the clones dragged Catra away_

_Catra tried reaching for her again ''I'M SORRY'' Tears were streaming down her face ''FOR EVERYTHING''_

_Adora tried to fight whatever was keeping her in place, but it was no use. Her arm felt like a giant weight had been placed over it as she tried to reach back and grab Catra's hand_ _'Stop it! Stop it! Let her go!''_ _. The clones pulled her back, Catra cried out_

_Adora pushed harder as she felt another figure approach from behind her_

_''Such a shame, isn't it?'' Horde Prime mused as Adora continued to try and fight_

_''Do not fear for her'' he grinned as Adora glanced at Catra worriedly ''She will soon be brought into my eternal light''_

_Adora's eyes widened as Catra stared up at her, a mix of emotions in her eyes. She was in complete fear, yet she was resigned, a look of almost relief etched on her face with the thought that she'd at least spared her from the same cruel fate._

_''No'' she looked back at Prime ''No, just leave her alone'' she said shakily_

_Prime laughed at how desperate her voice had become ''Why should I? You left her, discarded her as if she was nothing, you had several chances to bring her with you, to save her, and yet you are the very reason she's here''_

_''Adora...'' Catra whimpered as the clones pushed her onto her knees ''Adora, I'm sorry...'' She shut her eyes and bowed her head as the clones each pulled out a pair of scissors._

_''NO! CATRA!'' Adora yelled. She faced Prime again ''Just-just let her go, she isn't a part of this!''_

_Prime smiled as he saw Adora's powerful resolve coming undone ''It'll be child's play to recondition her, she's already broken enough'' He threw Catra's metallic mask off her head, sending it clattering at Adora's feet_

_''So broken that she saw it best to lose her life for an enemy she so clearly deeply cared for'' He tilted Catra's face upward forcing them both to look at each other. her pleading eyes pierced Adora's soul_

_The clones began to cut her hair off, messy clumps littering the ground. Catra let a small sob escape her as some tears formed in her eyes_

_''Please'' she begged ''I'll give you what you want. just don't hurt her'' Adora was well aware she was crying now_

_''It's far too late for that **She-Ra**_ _'' Prime drawled as Adora sobbed ''She must suffer to become pure''_

_The scene changed as they appeared in a room with an acidic green pool in the middle._

_Adora fell to her knees as she was free to move again_

_The clones pushed Catra at Prime's feet once they'd finished their work_

_Catra hissed as Prime lifted her by her neck_

_Adora raced forward as he tightened his grip, clones pushed her back as they surrounded him ''It is an honor to watch Prime purify one of his own'' One said monotonously._

_''NO! LET HER GO! JUST TAKE ME INSTEAD!'' Adora pushed at them with all her might but she couldn't break through. The clones held her back_

_Prime lowered her into the pool, pushing her forward to make her walk towards the middle, she turned around and faced Adora as she reached the center, resigning herself to what would come next_

_Prime looked down at her again ''Make her watch what happens to those who betray Prime''_

_''CATRA!'' she cried as Catra sent her one last look of fear_

_Within a second, the green glow of the pool amplified as streaks of lightning danced around it. Catra's head tossed back in a scream as her entire body convulsed, the energy shooting through her._

_Adora's screams mingled with hers as she clawed at the clones, trying desperately to fight them off ''PLEASE! STOP IT! LET HER GO! JUST LET HER GO!''_

_Prime wiped the tears off Adora's face as he continued forcing her to watch. Catra's face was contorted in pain as her eyes switched from blue and yellow to green her tears dropping into the water as it continued_

_And as soon as it started, everything stopped. Catra's entire body was still shaking as she glided back to the edge of the pool, crawling her way out_

_''A-Ad..or..a?'' she whimpered as Prime dragged her out_

_''She was afraid in the end'' He explained as he handed her to the other clones ''So very afraid''_

_Adora tried to reach her again, but to no avail ''Fool, you couldn't protect her then and you cannot now''_

_Catra's eyes were darting around the room as she gasped for breath, searching for someone she couldn't find_

_''CATRA! CATRA PLEASE, IT'S ME! I'M RIGHT HERE!'' She yelled, but Catra was already being taken to the other room_

_Her entire world went dark, disappearing just as Catra went out of sight. She felt like she was being dragged down into an abyss where she couldn't come back up_

_She was on the smooth floors of Prime's ship again, her limbs feeling weaker than ever. Her eyes opened to see a figure laying just a few meters away from her_

_Adora crawled over to her, desperate to finally hold her after everything that just happened_

_''Catra...Catra please, it's me'' Her voice cracked as she finally reached her but as soon as she touched her, everything changed again_

_Stains of blood littered the sterile white uniform, burns and bruises were all over her skin. Catra's chest didn't rise and fall anymore, her entire body had gone cold. Adora lifted her into her arms_

_''nononono- Catra, wake up'' she sobbed ''Catra please, please, I'm right here okay? I'm right here''_

_Catra's eyes had already closed over, she didn't stir ''Catra'' Adora cried ''Please, please, I love you, I love you so much, just wake up Catra please''_

_Prime was in front of her again, staring down in what seemed like triumph. He bent down and tilted her chin upwards, watching the excess of tears that had streamed down her face_

_''How could you let this happen to her?''_

* * *

It was the fifth night in a row Adora had decided to sleep next to her on Darla

Catra didn't know if she drew comfort from someone staying with her or the fact that that someone was Adora, but she did. She didn't exactly know why she was awake now of all times, but the idea of the whole space crew being asleep gave her some sense of freedom

She was sitting at the edge of the bed now, thinking of what to do next. She'd tried interacting with Sparkles, Entrapta and Arrow Boy more, and she was hoping she was doing well, or they could just be taking pity on her

Bow allowed her to help him build some of his arrows, he seemed to be trying as hard as her when it came to less awkward interactions and she was fairly certain she did well enough at it. After years of meticulous planning and upgrading Horde weaponry, she was even able to give him some pointers which he seemed to appreciate.

Glimmer seemed a little easier to talk to since they'd spent ages together on Prime's ship. The two of them would usually cook together while talking about random things. She'd told Glimmer a fair bit about her childhood and in turn, Glimmer had told her about her own. Despite constantly burning the food, they got along really well, which was a major relief.

She tried being as helpful to Entrapta as possible, only a small token of apology after all the pain she'd caused her, but Entrapta seemed to take it very well. Never had she seen someone who wanted to help her with tech before, Bow had tried, but she'd never seen anyone take a real interest. Catra didn't understand a word of what she was saying half the time, but the help and encouragement made Entrapta happy and gave her faith in redeeming herself so she continued to do it.

Adora had been spending the most time with her, rarely ever leaving her side and giving her all the love and support in the world. Ever since that first night they spent together, she kept coming back to Catra's room every night. She was pretty sure she wasn't one to talk about relationships, but did Bow and Glimmer really make out that much? She'd never seen them act that way around her, and they seemed pretty comfortable being themselves, but the way Adora made it sound, she had to keep their faces at least five feet apart at all times

She didn't really mind though, if she were being honest, sleeping alone now of all times would have been way scarier and Adora's presence always helped ground her. Plus, she never could explain the overwhelming joy she had when Adora would enter the room or when she'd ask if she could stay

She was brought out of her thoughts when Adora began moving her arm in random directions

''No...'' She groaned groggily, her face contorting in pain

Catra was so dumbfounded, she didn't think to act at all, instead staring at the sleeping figure making the noise

''Stop it...'' Adora snapped, flailing her arms wildly

''Hey, hey, you're having another sleep fight, dummy'' Catra did her best to dodge Adora's fists

''Please...let...go..'' Adora was becoming even more frantic

Catra didn't know what to do, she didn't want to risk hurting Adora by trying to hold her back, but she couldn't watch her suffering either. Ever so stealthily, she got off the bed and out of Adora's reach, moving around the room as she tried to figure out what to do next.

''don't..hurt..her...please...don't..don't'' Tears were starting to brim the corners of Adora's eyes

Things never got this bad whenever she had bad dreams in the Horde, the most she'd do is grunt and punch a little, Catra wondered if it hand gotten worse over the years they were apart. Her eyes widened a little as she saw Adora crying, Adora never cried during her sleep fights, whatever she was seeing, it was bad.

''No...take m-me..instead'' Adora was full on sobbing now, she was getting completely restless, the blanket tossing around until it was thrown directly off the bed

''Adora'' Catra tried ''Adora, hey, snap out of it, you're just having a nightmare''

The flailing stopped within a minute and Catra sighed with relief. She moved to retrieve the blanket and tuck Adora back in, but then she started hearing sobbing from the bed

''Catra...'' She whispered in what seemed like complete horror ''Catra...please''

Without even putting down the blanket, Catra darted over to her, not knowing what to do when she reached there. Adora's face was completely contorted in pain, her lower lip was trembling as tears flowed from her eyes. She kept crying her name. Small sobs kept coming from her as she began shaking. Catra had never seen anything like it

She debated on calling Bow and Glimmer for help, but she didn't think they'd be of much use here, she'd never seen Adora this vulnerable and from what she'd heard, the others clearly hadn't either.

''CATRA'' Adora yelled, her eyes flying open as she bolted upright from the bed

Her eyes were wide as they darted around the room, her breathing heavy from shock. She was in a cold sweat, panic rising in her as she searched the room

''Hey, hey, you're okay, you're okay'' Catra moved in front of her

Adora's head snapped towards her within a second, Catra froze up at the look of fear and horror in her eyes. They hovered on Catra for a moment before she took a deep breath, her hands holding her head as she tried to hide her tears

Catra wasn't sure how to help, she didn't exactly know how to comfort someone, much less the strongest person she knew. And as much as she wanted to offer her all the love in the world, the last thing she wanted to do was startle her

She slowly maneuvered herself onto the soft bed wrapping an arm around Adora's shoulders in a hope that it could comfort her ''Adora, it's okay, it's okay, it was just a nightmare''

Adora nodded shakily ''I'm s-sorry'' She tried, letting another sob escape her

She moved her hands off her puffy eyes to take a look at Catra again. ''Don't worry about it, I'm here for you'' Catra continued attempting to calm her

''C-Can I...'' Adora reached out her hand, unsure if Catra would let her into her personal space again

Catra took it as a sign that it was okay to move closer to her, she wrapped her arms around her, pressing her ear to Adora's chest as she listened to her still racing heartbeat.

Adora held her almost protectively, desperate to be as close to her as possible. One hand made its way behind Catra's ear, stroking her short hair, the other rubbing circles on her back. She was practically cradling Catra now, her entire being wrapped around her, where no one could hurt her again. Soft whimpers escaped her lips no matter how much she willed them not to

Catra brought her hand up to caress her cheek ''Adora'' she started as she saw the tears glazing over her beautiful eyes ''It's okay for you to cry''

Apparently that's all the encouragement she needed as she buried her face in Catra's hair, her entire body jerking with each sob. Catra maneuvered herself to hold her just as closely, her arms now around Adora's neck as she silently tried to keep her calm. She could feel herself relaxing as Adora's heartbeat started to slow to normal

''I-I'm Sorry'' Adora choked out once she got her voice under control ''I didn't think it'd be this bad tonight, I-'' she fumbled as she tried to explain herself

''Wait, tonight?'' Catra's ears perked up as she untangled herself from Adora ''How long's this been going on?''

Adora shrunk back, knowing she'd said too much. It was ironic, wasn't it? For the past few nights, she'd been the one to help Catra recover, to express her feelings, to be there for her and encourage her to talk about her problems and yet, she could never quite do it herself

Adora flinched as she asked the question, trying to dissolve the situation ''It-It's nothing, I shouldn't have bothered you, you need your rest''

''Adora'' Catra tried again, a little more firmly. She grabbed her hand ''It's not nothing if it's making you act like that, you can always talk to someone okay?'' Her tone softened a little ''You can always talk to me''

Adora seemed to withdraw a little, but she kept her grip on Catra's hand ''It's stupid''

Catra decided to commit and lay her head on Adora's shoulder ''That's fine, I won't find you dumb for it, I already find you dumb enough'' 

Adora drew some relief from the small joke, she sighed ''Okay, just-I'm sorry if...''

Catra held her face in her hands ''It's okay, whatever it is, It's okay''

Adora curled into herself as she finally admitted it ''I've b-been having nightmares''

''What've they been about?'' Catra encouraged, trying to get to the root of the problem

Adora looked at her anxiously ''They...'' she trailed off, she couldn't admit to it, she tightened her grip around herself as Catra wrapped her arm around her

''They always start with Shadow Weaver'' She began

''And I thought I was the only one who had nightmares about her'' Catra quipped, earning a ghost of a smile from Adora

''She tells me all the regular stuff, that I was never who she wanted me to be, that I had so much more potential, that I failed her'' Adora found it easier to list off all of that then talk about what came next

''And then she tells me about how I couldn't...'' She paused ''How I left''

Catra felt a pit in her stomach, she felt like she knew when this was going

''And then you show up'' Adora's voice was shaking again ''But we're not fighting'' she quickly added, knowing how devastating that thought would be to Catra ''And...''

Catra stared at her in what seemed to be hurt, but also anticipation

''It was when you told me you were sorry, when you saved Glimmer, and I saw...the clones go after you'' 

Catra's eyes widened a little, she didn't expect Adora to fear that of all things

''I-I tried to reach you, to get you out of there, but...he stopped me'' Fresh tears were brimming her eyes again. Both she and Catra knew which _he_ she was referring to. Catra tried to keep calm at the mention of him, she needed to stay strong for Adora

''And h-he tells me about what you did for me, that you saved my life'' She took a deep breath ''And how he's gonna hurt you for it''

Catra winced at the statement, recounting the several horrible things that had happened to her back there

''It usually stops there but this time-'' A small sob came from her ''This time he made me watch''

Catra's grip around her tightened

''And I surrendered, I kept telling him to stop, that I'd give him whatever he wanted but he kept hurting you, just to get to me'' She added that last part with disdain in her voice ''And they kept holding me back, telling me it was all my fault until...''

Catra looked up at her, the look in her eyes almost indescribable, pain? Love? Understanding? Empathy? She couldn't place it

She took one last shaky breath ''Until I lost you forever''

Catra herself sighed ''It's okay, Princess'' Deliberately using the nickname to maybe soothe Adora's worries, she tried to shift to the next question, knowing emphasizing on the story right now was a bad idea

''So how long've they been happening?''

''Since you got chipped'' Adora admitted, saying this was way easier now that she'd spilled everything ''The thoughts would creep up on me during the day, and then go full on at night''

''Adora that was almost a week ago'' Catra was shocked to see how long this must've been haunting her, she tried calming her again ''I-I'm okay now, you don't have to worry anymore''

''I know'' Adora's voice was still full of pain ''It's just that...I'm scared, Catra''

''I get scared all the time, that maybe if I'm not there, all this'll turn out to be a dream, that you're still gonna be back there and I won't be able to protect you'' She took another deep breath ''I know you don't need anyone to do that, I know you can hold your own, it's just that, if you get hurt it-it hurts me, and it scares me to death''

Catra was almost surprised, she never expected for Adora to feel that way

Adora scratched the back of her head ''It's why I come back to your room every night, so that when I wake up or the thoughts go into my head, I know you're okay, but if I'm bothering you and keeping you up...I can go''

Catra's ears perked up ''No, no it's okay, I don't want you to go, I'm glad you're here, I just didn't think _that_ was what was bothering you''

Catra cupped her cheeks and pressed their foreheads together ''You can stay with me as long as you need to, I'll be right here''

Adora leaned into the touch, sniffling slightly ''Thanks, Catra'' she placed her hand on Catra's

''Now go back to sleep, dummy, you can 'protect' me for the rest of the night, but you need your rest'' She lay them both down on the pillow, covering them with the blanket

Adora seemed to take her up on the offer, she defensively wrapped her arms around her, as if to shield her from any harm. Catra fell asleep, purring softly to comfort her more

She knew for a fact that it was her imagination, but she could've sworn she heard Adora confess ''I love you'' before she nodded off

**Author's Note:**

> A/N on other stories : So I haven't been updating in forever cuz of school and I've been sticking to oneshots alot. But since Our test cycle is nearly done for a month, I've gotten tons of motivation to continue ALL my other stories as well as conceptualizing two big Post-S5 AUs that I'll start off once I'm satisfied with everything else.


End file.
